Why Is Disney Hiding Star Wars?

Maybe Disney is sick and tired of leaping through every marketing hoop that has been established in our current “show us everything in advance” movie-tracking society. Very few properties exist today that could open in theaters sight unseen and still break box-office records. Star Wars remains one of those franchises. Could Disney and Abrams maintain radio silence from now until 2015? Absolutely. Would they piss their fanbase off? You better believe it. But would those same people still turn out to see what Abrams has concocted? Let’s put it this way: Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith earned $380 million in the U.S. and $848 million worldwide, and that was AFTER George Lucas already proved through Phantom Menace and Clones that the prequel films were going to be hollow, cold, digital exercises with little emotional pull. Fans were unfazed. It’s Star Wars. They are going to watch.

I think Disney realizes this. I think they whole-heartedly believe it. There might be pre-production issues. There could be legitimacy to the persistent rumors that Abrams is poised to walk away from the Star Wars director’s chair. But with Horn swearing at D23 that Episode VII will be in theaters in 2015, I’m leaning toward the belief that Disney just doesn’t feel that it needs to tell us anything specific about the sequel … and while I admire that gumption, I’m not sure yet if it’s going to help or hurt the film in the long run.